Sunny, but for how long?

The sun managed to shine today. But how long can this last? I have a feeling we'll have rain again by the weekend. Pity. Where has the month gone? What has happened to our summer? Why has the weather been misbehaving so much over the past few weeks?

Rain, Rain, go away . . .

The famous nursery rhyme, which we must all know from our childhood, and which I quote in the title of this post, comes to mind, with the weather returning to dull, damp and dismal mode, after we've had a couple of sun-filled days. It seems more like an autumn day, rather than a mid-summer's day, as I look out over the garden. It's truly depressing. But what can one do about it? Not a lot, I suppose, just live with it. It must be awful for anyone organising an outdoor event at this time of year, when you know well that it's going to depend on the weather for it's success or otherwise.

'Foxglove extract digoxin helps the heart' Daily Mail headline says

'An “extract from poisonous Foxglove can protect against high blood pressure and heart failure”, the Daily Mail has reported. It does this by enhancing the mechanism the body uses to protect itself against the conditions, the Mail says.'

'This story is based on laboratory research into the potential role of the drug digoxin (which is extracted from the foxglove plant) in treating heart conditions such as high blood pressure and heart failure. Digoxin is currently used to control heart rate in some patients with an irregular heartbeat, and has been shown to improve heart failure symptoms. However, the fact that it can be poisonous and needs to be monitored means that it is not commonly prescribed.'

'The current study identified a protein that is involved in the prevention of high blood pressure. The researchers scanned a library of thousands of existing drug compounds to identify ones that could potentially treat the condition. They found that digoxin was able to increase the presence of this protein in both cells in the lab and living mice. The researchers conclude that this may explain how digoxin improves heart failure symptoms, and suggest it may offer a new approach for treating heart conditions.'

'This was an early stage drug discovery study. It will probably take several years of continued research into the effectiveness and safety of digoxin for high blood pressure patients before the drug could be available for treating the condition.'

Where did the story come from?

'The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of Toledo in the United States, and was funded by the US National Institutes of Health and the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation.'

'The study was published in the peer-reviewed  journal Molecular Pharmacology.'

'The Mail’s headline emphasising the poisonous nature of the foxglove extract is misleading, as is its discussion of the use of foxglove extract in the 13th century and Victorian times. While digoxin may have been used throughout history for various purposes and can be poisonous, it is a licensed treatment for certain heart conditions. However, it takes the body a long time to break down digoxin and, as such, treated patients, particularly the elderly, can be at risk of adverse effects due to toxic levels of digoxin building up in the body. Toxic levels of digoxin can cause heart problems, giving rise to symptoms similar to those it is used to treat. For this reason, digoxin can be a difficult drug to use, and levels in the blood sometimes have to be monitored to ensure that it is not building up to toxic levels.'

What kind of research was this?

'This research was carried out in cell cultures and animals. It aimed to identify an existing medicine that could target a specific protein, RGS2. This protein is important for normal heart function, and low levels of RGS2 are associated with high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart failure. The researchers thought that a drug that targets RGS2, increasing its production, could provide a new approach to treating these common conditions.'

'Cell and animal studies are a vital part of the drug discovery and drug development process. They can provide an early indication of the potential action of new drugs or, in this case, the potential action of old drugs in treating a new condition. They can also be useful in studying the specific mechanisms by which drugs work. However, they cannot tell us whether a drug will effectively and safely treat a condition in real patients. Further clinical trials in humans are required to assess these factors.'

What did the research involve?

'The researchers identified a protein, RGS2, which is found in low levels in some patients with high blood pressure and heart failure. They tested thousands of drugs to see whether or not they could increase the levels of RGS2 in cells. '

'The selected drug compounds were then tested in mice. The animals were given the drugs for seven days, and then their heart tissue was tested for RGS2 levels.'

'The researchers analysed the data to determine whether or not there was a dose-response relationship between drug treatment and RGS2 protein levels.'

What were the basic results?

'The researchers found that digoxin, and other similar drugs (digoxin was the only currently licensed medical drug used in the study), led to a two to three fold increase in RGS2 protein levels in cells. The change in RGS2 levels was both concentration and time dependent, with higher levels seen at greater digoxin levels, and the levels decreasing over time after exposure to the compound.'

'Mice treated with digoxin for seven days showed increased levels of RGS2 in both heart and kidney tissues compared with mice that were not treated with the drug.'

How did the researchers interpret the results?

'The researchers conclude that digoxin, a drug currently used to treat heart failure and certain heart rhythm problems, could be used for the treatment of high blood pressure.'

Conclusion

'This early stage drug discovery study suggests that digoxin may have potential use in the treatment of high blood pressure. However, much more research is needed to determine whether the drug is safe and effective for treatment of patients with hypertension. '

'Digoxin is a chemical found in the foxglove plant. It is a drug that increases the force of heart contraction, and also slows the conduction of electrical impulses through the heart. As such, digoxin is currently licensed to treat heart failure and certain heart rhythm problems. However, the risk of the drug building up to toxic levels in the body, which is particularly dangerous in the elderly, means that its use within the medical profession is often quite limited.'

'The exact mechanism by which digoxin improves heart function is not known. This research suggests that its role in increasing RGS2 levels may account for some of its clinical impact in the treatment of heart failure. Further research is required to determine whether this is the case, however.'

'The researchers say that, at this stage in the research, it is not possible to say whether the increased levels of RGS2 seen after treatment with digoxin will translate into a functional effect. They say that the effects of continuous digoxin treatment, and associated increases in RGS2 levels, are not known, and will need to be investigated in future studies.'

'Overall, this study provides additional knowledge that may be helpful in developing new drugs for heart conditions, and understanding how current cardiac therapies work. It has, however, little immediate relevance for patients with high blood pressure.'

Item taken direct from the NHS website.

Well, I for one wouldn't try this. I was always lead to believe that foxglove was poisonous, and I would never trust entirely what I read in a newspaper, and certainly not the Daily Mail.

High cholesterol diet helps mice with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease

A diet high in cholestrol may help people with a fatal genetic disease which damages the brain, according to early studies in mice.
 

Patients with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease struggle to produce a fatty sheath around their nerves, which is essential for function.

A study, published in Nature Medicine, showed that a high-cholesterol diet could increase production.

The authors said the mice "improved dramatically".

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) is one of many leukodystrophies in which patients struggle to produce the myelin sheath. It protects nerve fibres and helps messages pass along the nerves.

Without the sheath, messages do not travel down the nerve - resulting in a range of problems including movement and cognition.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, in Germany, performed a trial on mice with the disease and fed them a high cholesterol diet.

'Striking potential' The first tests were on mice when they were six weeks old, after signs of PMD had already emerged. Those fed a normal diet continued to get worse, while those fed a cholesterol-enriched diet stabilised.

"This six-week-long cholesterol treatment delayed the decline in motor co-ordination," the scientists said.

Further tests showed that starting the diet early was more beneficial, leading the researchers to conclude that in mice "treatment should begin early in life and continue into adulthood".

This study was only in mice, meaning it is not known if there would be a similar effect in people - or if there would, how early treatment would have to start.

The authors of the report said: "Dietary cholesterol does not cure PMD, but has a striking potential to relieve defects."

It is thought the cholesterol frees up a "traffic jam" inside cells in the brain. The disease is caused by producing too much of a protein needed in myelin, which then becomes stuck inside the cells. It is thought the extra cholesterol helps to free up the protein.

Taken from BBC website, news section.

A Deluge (to put it mildly . . .)

What on earth has happened to the weather? I realise that the British climate can play strange tricks, but lately we've had really awful weather. It is June, after all, but certainly not 'flaming June.' I went out to buy a loaf of bread this morning, and found that I needed to put on some sort of coat to keep off the rain. At that point, before I'd actually left the house and got in the car, it was raining, although a little more than drizzle. By the time I'd got outside and was in the car, the heavens opened and there was a downpour. I drove in the direction of Lidl at Oldbrook Boulevarde, with the roads awash, and the car windscreen-wipers going at full speed. The rain continued unabated, and the water was running along the side of the roads much like a river. I got to the carpark at Lidl and found it closed off as there were workmen resurfacing the carpark and a man preventing traffic entering with a 'stop-go' board, so I turned round and came away. Goodness knows how many other people were put off by this. I went to the Co-Op at Netherfield and got bread there, by which time the rain had virtually stopped.